Allstate "PIF"

The Specialty Operations Division (SOD) of Allstate, located in South Barrington, has a committee that organizes events for Employee Recognition.  That committee is SOAR (Specialty Operations Activities & Recognition).
 
For the past several years, SOD employees were allowed to wear jeans on Fridays for a per quarter donation.  Normally, these donations were sent to various charities using the first and second quarter collections.  The third and fourth quarter collections are used to support the Allstate Adopt-A-Family program.
 
In early 2008, SOAR was brainstorming alternate ideas for the first two quarter donations.  The “Pay It Forward” idea was suggested to encourage the employees in the division to become more personally involved in the community - not just send a check to an organization.  Allstate has always been actively involved in the surrounding communities and encourages their employees to participate.   
 
We kicked it off by showing the Pay It Forward movie.  “The premise of the movie is one that any person can implement in his or her own life, at any time. It begins with doing a favor for another person-- without any expectation of being paid back. Indeed one would request that the recipient of that favor do the same for someone else: ideally for three other people. The unconditional favors can be large or small. It doesn't have to be a big thing. It can just seem that way, depending on whom you do it for.”
 
5 organizations/families were chosen for us to help:
 

• From the Journey from Pads to Hope organization, a family was chosen, a father with a young son who lived in a shelter and was having difficulties getting to work due to car trouble.  

• Another family was chosen which consisted of a man and his elderly mother whose home was deemed uninhabitable due to poor living conditions (to put it mildly).  They were on the brink of being evicted. 

• Kaitlin Cardin Cancer and Family Assistance Fund - A young girl, fighting cancer, was also chosen.  Her family is struggling to pay all of the expenses that are NOT covered by insurance – for instance, the gas to get her to and from her treatments, along with co-pays on her insurance because it doesn't cover 100% of any of her medical costs or her prescriptions. 

• Alden Poplar Creek Rehabilitation and Health Care Center – This is part nursing home, part rehabilitation center and also The Pathways Program offers person-centered care to people with dementia by acknowledging they have their own life history, talents and interests. This is accomplished in a loving, supportive and safe environment through a partnership with family, friends, the community and our staff. 

• Home of the Sparrow, McHenry County – This organization helps women and children move from the trauma of homelessness into lives of stability and independence.
  

In order to provide these groups/families with the help they desperately needed, we wanted to raise additional money.  Many fundraisers were held including; walking taco’s, a pizza party, hot dog & chips sale, silent auction, spare change collection, lemonade & popcorn stand, millennium raffle, bingo & bagels, and a recycle/used books/crafts and bake sale.  In addition, we invited many outside vendors into our office, with the agreement that a portion of their sales would be donated to our charities.  With these fundraisers, thousands of dollars have been raised so far, and we’re not done yet.  
 
In addition to fundraising, a group of eight SOD Employee’s and family members have spent  nearly every Saturday since May working to clean up one of their homes. Nearly every room has been cleaned; the walls primed and painted, the kitchen and baths repaired the garage and yard cleared.  Work continues but on a smaller scale.   
 
A new gas barbeque grill was purchased for Alden Poplar Creek along with a contribution of $150 to help pay for their Hawaiian Luau.  Twelve SOD employees, along with some friends and family, volunteered at their luau – helping transport wheelchair residents, grilling the hamburgers, along with  serving and visiting with the residents.   
 
Although the Pay It Forward initiative was meant to encourage the employees of SOD to get more involved in the community, it had the added benefit of promoting volunteerism, team work, teaching tolerance, compassionate and understanding.
 
We are extremely proud of our accomplishments and know we could not have had the success we had without the support from our SOD Leadership group, Building Operations, who have kindly allowed us use of the property, and all the generous people at Allstate!